You deserve a clogged artery today

For those of us who think it is wrong to eat meat--and obscene to eat meat from factory farms--the new Hardee's Monster Thickburger is a grim reminder that the worst kinds of animal torture constitute an acceptable American activity. To people who are concerned about obesity, diabetes, and heart disease, the sandwich--two one-third-pound slabs of Angus beef, four strips of bacon, three slices of cheese, and mayonnaise on a buttered sesame seed bun--is a reminder that America is a land of overweight people who are not concerned with their health.

It is worth noting a comment made by Hardee's chief executive Andrew Puzder, who told CNBC that the company's latest sandwich is "not a burger for tree-huggers."

This is a comment worth deconstructing: Environmentalists should stay away from this sandwich. Why? It is safe to say that most environmentalists (sadly) have no interest in animal rights. Perhaps Mr. Puzder assumes that they do. But why didn't he just say "it's not a burger for PETA fans" or some other such slight to the animal rights movement? Perhaps he is going for something a little less factual and a little more political--"Tree-huggers," in our current socio-political climate, are "girly men." Those who are not real men won't be interested in consuming 1,420 calories and 107 grams of fat at one sitting. Anyone who doesn't want to eat a Monster Thickburger is probably, you know, a woman, God forbid.

"Tree-hugger" began as a useful put-down of "nut cases" like Rachel Carson and Lady Bird Johnson who expressed fear that we were destroying the natural balance of the Earth. Like all put-downs of liberals, it has become feminized. Senator John Kerry, who--prior to the year 2004--was known for his environmental record, did not even mention the environment in his presidential campaign. An argument can be made that he skipped this issue because the country was focused on terrorism and Iraq, but it is also true that a Democrat desperate to look like a soldier-hunter-killer manly man didn't want to be associated with a feminine crowd of tree huggers.